UM women beat FSU 76-59, first time Hurricanes sweep Seminoles in 10 years
It had been 10 years since the University of Miami women’s basketball team swept Florida State, so former Hurricane stars Shenise Johnson and Morgan Stroman – both on the UM staff now – hyped the current team with a 2002 highlight video before Sunday’s home game at the Watsco Center.
That extra dose of motivation may have been one reason the Hurricanes beat the Seminoles 76-59, leading all but 29 seconds of the game.
“There’s a lot to play for in a game like this, everything was on the line, now we’re ahead of Florida State in the standings having beaten them twice,” UM coach Katie Meier said. “It’s a big deal. FSU is legit and Sue (Semrau) is a phenomenal coach.”
The Hurricanes dominated from the opening whistle and had pulled ahead 24-12 by the end of the first quarter. Their shots kept falling until the final buzzer. They were 55 percent from the field, 53 percent from three-point range (9-of-17), and 81 percent from the free throw line (13-of-16).
Four UM players scored in double figures, led by guard Karla Erjavic, who had 15 points in 19 minutes and was 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. She also led the team with five assists. Kelsey Marshall had 15 points and five assists, Ja’Leah Williams scored 12 and Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi added 10.
The win was especially gratifying for UM coming off lopsided road losses at North Carolina (85-38) and Notre Dame (69-53). Miami scored more points in the first quarter against FSU than it did in the entire first half against Notre Dame and North Carolina.
Miami was just as efficient on the defensive end, forcing the Seminoles into 25 turnovers that resulted in 35 points.
“It was a complete validation for this team,” said Meier. “Florida State was coming off two huge wins and we were coming off two huge losses, that’s a lot of emotional work. Our emotional fuel tank was full, and it never emptied out in this game. We had two real difficult road games back-to-back and one that knocked us off our game, but there’s talent and toughness. I told them we have to move on and hunt wins.”
Erjavic, a Croatia native who transferred from the University of Wyoming in 2020, said he learned shortly after arriving in Miami just how big the FSU rivalry is. “We played one of our best games (Sunday) and we needed that to prove, coming off two losses, that we are a good team. Coming into this game I spoke to coaches about how I could have more of an impact and the bucket opened up for me.”
UM (13-10, 6-7 ACC) plays at Virginia on Tuesday. FSU dropped to 12-11, 6-7.